Question

Mode of nutrition in Paramecium is
A. Holophytic
B. Holozoic
C. Saprophytic
D. Saprozoic

Answer 1

Hint: Paramecium obtains its nutrition by feeding on other living microorganisms like bacteria, yeast, etc, and unicellular plants like algae, other protists like diatoms. Food is ingested by Paramecium by a mouth like structure known as the cytostome.

Complete answer:
The mode of nutrition in Paramecium is holozoic, which is a category of the heterotrophic mode of nutrition. It mostly engulfs other microorganisms from its surrounding environment. Paramecium belongs to the phylum Protozoa of the kingdom Protista.

Additional Information:
The different modes of nutrition seen in organisms are:
> Autotrophic mode of nutrition: The individual or organism has the ability to synthesize its foods using available raw materials from the surrounding environment. There are two types of autotrophic modes of nutrition:
- Photoautotrophic Nutrition: It includes organisms that are dependent on sunlight for the synthesis of food, Solar energy acts as the primary source of energy for them. All plants are photoautotrophs.
- Chemoautotrophs: These organisms can synthesize their food with the help of chemical energy, they may or may not be dependent on solar energy. Green and purple sulphur bacterias.

> Heterotrophic Nutrition: Nutrition is obtained by feeding on other organisms. Almost all animals are heterotrophic. It can again be subdivided into three types:
- Holozoic or Holotropic: The organism usually obtains solid food from the surrounding environment.
- Saprotrophic or Saprobiotic: In these types, the individual obtains their nutrition by feeding on dead and decaying organic remains of other organisms.
- Parasitic: Individuals obtain nutrition by feeding directly on a living host.

So, the correct answer is, “ Mode of nutrition in Paramecium is holozoic.”

Note: Another mode of nutrition known as mixotrophic nutrition is also seen is some organisms. Organisms belonging to this category can exhibit both autotrophic and heterotrophic types of nutrition. For example in Euglena, which usually feeds on other organisms showing the holozoic mode of nutrition, but when food is not available it shows the autotrophic mode of nutrition. It contains chloroplast having chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b pigments.